1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to anchors and, more particularly, to threaded anchors adapted to be secured to walls and ceilings for attaching an object thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There exist various types of fasteners which are adapted to be engaged in walls or ceilings, for instance in boards made of gypsum which generally constitute these walls and ceilings. Such fasteners may be used to mount various articles, such as picture frames, brackets, to walls or may be used, for instance, in the form of hooks which are engaged in ceilings for suspending articles therefrom, such as plant hangers. Particularly in the case of fasteners secured to ceilings for suspending items therefrom, it often happens that the items, such as hanging plants, rotate about a generally vertical axis, for instance when a plant is manually rotated in order to water it from different sides. In these cases, the attachment of the hanging article to the fastener which often takes the form of a hook, may force the fastener to rotate with respect to the ceiling along a direction which gradually loosens, i.e. unscrews, the fastener which ultimately can disengage from the ceiling under the weight of the suspended article and this may result in damaged articles, messes and even injury.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a new anchor adapted to be rotatably fastened to walls and ceilings and which includes a locking mechanism for preventing an easy unintended rotation thereof with respect to the walls or ceilings.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a new anchor in the form of a hook especially adapted for rotatable engagement thereof by way of a threaded screw-like portion of the anchor to a ceiling for suspending articles therefrom.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a fastener for anchoring in a support structure in combination with a locking unit for substantially preventing the fastener from accidentally loosening from the support structure, comprising a first member adapted to be inserted in the support structure for firmly anchoring said fastener thereto and also comprising a second member adapted to be located externally of the support structure, said locking unit including anchoring means for stationarily mounting said locking unit to the support structure, said second member and said locking unit comprising co-operating locking elements for locking said fastener to said locking unit and thus preventing said fastener from loosening from the support structure.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for securing a fastener to a support structure and substantially preventing the fastener from accidentally loosening from the support structure, comprising providing a fastener adapted to be partly inserted in the support structure for firmly anchoring the fastener thereto; providing a locking unit and stationarily mounting said locking unit to the support structure; and providing means for locking said fastener to said locking unit for preventing said fastener from accidentally loosening from the support structure.